BIO BOX:

US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald

[May 24, 2012]  CHICAGO (AP) -- NAME: Patrick J. Fitzgerald

AGE: 51

BORN IN: Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of a Manhattan doorman.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Amherst College in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in economics and mathematics. Graduated from Harvard Law School in 1985.

CAREER: Joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan in 1988 after working for a New York law firm. Appointed top federal prosecutor for the Northern District of Illinois by President George W. Bush in September 2001.

FAMILY: Wife, schoolteacher Jennifer Letzkus, two young children.

QUOTE: "We're trying to send a deterrent message to people not to commit the crimes, but we're also trying to send a message that if people have done wrong, that they wake up, smell the coffee and work with us," Fitzgerald said, explaining why Tony Rezko, a former fundraiser for ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, got a harsh 10 1/2-year prison sentence after refusing to cooperate with prosecutors until after his conviction.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.